Scottish Beauty Blog the home of Scottish Beauty

The eyes are the window to the soul, so the saying goes. Well, if that's true there are days where my soul must look about 1000. Fine lines and dark circles are my particular bugbears. Yes, diet, genes and getting enough sleep all play a part but how else do you to tackle this problem? Well aside from limiting my laughter to once week in a bid to stop those lines - joke - I've found using an eye cream day and night helps. Now, these are good under eye creams but they are not magic creams so if you think by applying a cream, the years will fall away to reveal the 18-year-old you, then those are some unrealistic expectations. However, the skin around your eyes is up to ten times thinner than elsewhere on your face, with fewer oil glands which means it dehydrates more easily so replenishing is a good idea. Then think about all the movement this area takes in one day. To be able to cope with it all, the connective tissue around the eyes is more slack than anywhere else in the body. And finally, the dreaded UVA/UVB also penetrate the under eye skin more deeply causing more damage to elastin and collagen.

Sun damage has taken it's toll on the skin around my eyes (too much sunbathing without the right protection) but thankfully I started using eye creams when I was a bright eyed 20-year-old. So far, puffiness and bags haven't really been problem. For me, it's dark circles and these constantly make me look tired. Sleep, water, it doesn't matter what I do, the bluish circles under my eyes will not budge. Now I tend to think it's due to genetics. But I have found eye creams do help. Here's some of the ones I like:

ESPA's eye products have long been a favourite of mine. Previously there was the 24-hour Eye Complex which soothed out lines and removed my dark circles. Now, that's been replaced by the 24 Hour Replenishing Eye Moisturiser, £35. Whilst it's not had quite the same impact on those bluish tinges under my eyes, I have found that nothing else compares for leaving my skin looking smoother and eradicating. It's my skin, just better. Buy via www.espaonline.com.

I also like Glamtox Eye SPF15, £50 which I found helps to illuminate dark circles. It doesn't remove them entirely, they just don't look as noticeable, like it's neutralised the blue hue or something. The formula is also cooling so if you do suffer from puffiness, it ought to help. And I have noticed a difference in the skin's texture looked firmed and smoother. It is pricey but for me, it's worth it. Buy from www.rodial.co.uk

Cash to splash? Then I recommend SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel, £70. The science bit behind this serum-in-a-gel is that it aims to improve blood flow through capillaries, which in turn reduces puffiness and under-eye bags. Whilst I didn't really notice any difference to my dark circles, I do like this product thanks to the it had on impact on fine lines. Buy via SkinCeuticals website.

And finally, I've included Elemental Herbology's Eye Elixir, £40, because it's a good paraben-free, mineral oil range. Although it's called a serum, I've found this product to be lighter than I was expecting. My skin soaked it up almost greedily and it didn't leave my skin greasy or with any residue. Like the SkinCeuticals AOX+ Eye Gel above, it didn't really make a noticeable impact on my dreaded dark circles. However, lines were less noticeable and that's why it's on my list of good under eye creams. Buy via Space NK of via Elemental Herbology's website.

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Scottish Beauty Blog

Instead of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, my list would go something like cleansers and toners, mascaras and glosses. Not quite as lyrical I grant you, then again, I'm not Oscar Hammerstein. No, I'm Sarah Tolan, blogger and journalist and when it comes to my favourite things, it's all about beauty products. I also love blogging so I decided to set up, Scottish Beauty Blog, where I - and you - could combine the two to bring you the latest beauty news, all with a Scottish slant that is more subtle than being och aye the noo and tartan clad treats. Thanks for stopping by and there's more info in the about us section.

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